Electronic Arts has now officially announced The Sims: Vacation, its upcoming expansion pack for The Sims, its hugely popular virtual-life game. The new expansion will be the fourth for the game, following on the success of its previous expansions--The Sims: Livin' Large, The Sims: House Party, and The Sims: Hot Date--which together with the original game have sold a combined total of more than 11 million units.

Maxis, the developer of The Sims and its expansions, had previously confirmed that a new expansion was in the works after other sources had indicated its existence, but until today, the studio would not confirm any details.

The Sims: Vacation will let players take their Sims on vacation to an island made up of three distinct areas--a snowy alpine environment, a Riviera-style beach, and a forest campground. While on the island, Sims can participate in a number of different activities, including beach volleyball, snowboarding, fishing, and hunting for hidden treasure. In addition to the new settings and activities, the expansion features new social interactions, new characters, and more than 120 new objects. The new characters featured in the add-on include the resort staff, a group of costumed performers, and the pickpocket, while the new objects included in the expansion range from coconut monkey souvenirs to stuffed penguin carnival prizes.

The Sims: Vacation is in development at Maxis and is scheduled for release this spring. For more information, take a look at our previous coverage of The Sims and its expansions.